Velkommen til Oslo!

Hey lovelies

This last weekend me and a girlfriend went on a little Norwegian adventure to Oslo!

A while back we secured some super cheap (£30pp) return flights to this lovely Scandinavian city. I'd been to Norway and Oslo back in my teens but couldn't wait to go back to walk around the city, explore the sites, browse the shops and soak up the culture. Here some pics from our trip :)

♥ Breakfast at our city hotel. Bread with chocolate spread, nommmm.....

♥ Gløgg - a special Norwegian christmas drink!

♥ Saw lots and lots of antlers

♥ Watch out 'Moose ahead'

♥ Oslo Christmas Markets, got us very much in the Christmas spirit

♥ The lovely Oslo waterfront

♥ Famous art at the Vigelands Park

♥ Besties together in Oslo

♥ Me at new Oslo Opera House

♥ Best brunch ever at Food Story in Grünerløkka

I pretty much ate my body weight in meatballs, pork belly, smoked salmon & chocolate mouse cake!

♥ Amazing sculpture in the Oslo Harbour

I seriously think I suffer from:

And seeing it’s Wednesday again, here are some of my favourite travel related quotes:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St Augustine
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
 “Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

Happy Hump Day :) Only 17 sleeps until Christmas….. xoxo

Orly – Birds of a Feather collection

Right on trend for fall and winter is Orly’s latest AW11 nail polish ‘Birds of a Feather collection’! Dazzling metallic shades paired with sophisticated neutral lacquers gives a twist on standard fall hues! The shades in the collection represent the vibrant plumage found on some of the world's most exotic birds.
The collection contains 6 striking colours; (L-R) Fowl Play is a multi-dimensional purple sparkle,  Lucky Duck a rich green, Nite Owl a neutral beige shimmer, Peachy Parrot a beautiful orange coral shimmer, Sea Gurl a stunning gun menal grey shimmer, and Sweet Peacock a peacock blue shimmer.

Orly’s new collection definitely reflects themes as seen on the AW11 catwalk, for example Gucci’s AW11 runway show which featured gorgeous jewel toned gowns and lot’s of ruffle and feathers!

The other day I tried Sweet Peacock on my own little fingers:

Sweet Peacock is a striking electric blue polish with a silvery foil finish. I have to admit I was a little shocked when I first put this on my nails because the colour was just SO intense and blue!

The formula of this polish is amazing. The Orly polish applied like a dream, this was after only two coats. It was already pretty much opaque after just one coat which is pretty impressive for such a high shine/glittery polish. Plus it's also very long lasting!

This is definitely not a nail polish for the faint hearted, because you will attract attention when wearing it. But if you are not shy to shine and love blue then this is just gorgeous! I wasn't sure if it was quite me to start with but it definitely grew on me, I loved seeing this bright shade on my nails :)

What do you think of Sweet Peacock or any of the other shades from the 'Birds of a Feather collection'?
I'm definitely keen to try Nite Owl after seeing some swatches online! xoxo

Queen of Hearts >

I can't seem to get enough of the  red lip look recently and have fallen in love with Collection 2000's lipstick in Queen of Hearts! Check out a recent face of the day rocking my current fave lippy!

♥ Face 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Concealer (under eyes)

Revlon ColorStay Foundation in Sand Beige (180)

Bourjois Delice de Soleil Mineral Powder Foundation 

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer

FYF cosmetics blusher in 'Rose' (review to follow!)

♥ Eyes 

UD Naked Palette - Virgin (all over the lid)

UD Naked Palette - Naked (in de crease)

MAC Penultimate liquid liner (upper lash line)

NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

MAC Nylon Eyeshadow (applied to the tear duct to brighten the inner corner of my eye)

♥ Lips 

Collection2000 - Queen of Hearts lipstick 

(applied with KIM L311 professional lipstick brush)

Queen of Hearts is part of the Lasting Colour range by Collection2000 cosmetics.
Here are the two shades I have from the Lasting Colour Range:

Left & top swatched: Queen of Hearts (1) - such a gorgeous deep/dark red colour ♥

Right & bottom swatched: Valentine (12)

Here is a lip swatch of Valentine. This is more a tomato bright red but yet another stunning shade!

The Collection 2000's lipsticks have SPF 15 and are pretty long lasting with a soft & smooth formula.

For only £2.99 I think these are UH-mazing value for money and am definitely keen to try more shades from the range. I have read that 'Bubblegum' from the range is pretty much a spot on dupe for MAC St Germain lipstick. Collection2000 Lasting Lipstick is available online or instore at Boots or Superdrug.

Have you ever tried any of the lipsticks by Collection 2000? If so let me know which one to get next! :)

Product Love: Wish Wash

Hey everyone,

First off I am sorry, I can't believe it's been a week since I have blogged! Life has just been a little busy the last few days with work, life and travel. I love blogging so it's not that I have lost the 'passion' but sometimes the days just fly by and recently just haven't had the time!

Now onto a product I have been loving recently: Wish Wash by FIX Malibu!

Wish Wash is a exfoliant cleanser but nothing like a traditional cleanser! It's actually a finely milled powder that is activated by water into a light foaming cleanser that exfoliates and deep-cleans pores gently without stripping your skin. A powder cleanser was a totally new concept to me so was very intrigued to see how it would work & feel. The powder comes in a cardboard container that looks a bit like a pepper or seasoning shaker because it features the same type of lid.



All you need to do is tip a pea-sized pile of powder into the palm of your hand and mix in a little water. I was expecting the powder to turn into paste like consistency when mixed with water but instead it turns the powder into a lovely soft 'foaming' cleanser.

As well as naturally abrasive cellulose powders, it contains citric, salicylic and ferulic acids which are natural skin smoothers said to draw extract the dirt from your pores. Done this way, exfoliation allows any toner or moisturiser applied afterward to penetrate maximally, without irritating sensitive skin.

The idea behind the product is to gently but effectively exfoliate with every single wash, rather than just saving a harsher exfoliation for once or twice a month. I have been using this in the shower daily and love how it leaves my skin feeling refreshed, super-clean, soft and not stripped 'raw' like some other exfoliating products can do.

Wish Wash is available online at Cult Beauty here for £27.50

And seeing it's Wednesday again.....
Think a lot of us are feeling a bit like this at the moment….Happy Hump Day :) xoxo